Vote

Sky+ Votes Analysed (Set 1) - 13th August 2003 by James Payne

Polls, polls and even more polls !!.................

(Editor: Cut ! - wrong clipart - wrong sort of polls)

We've all been there surely ? Out and about on a sunny afternoon, racing through town trying to achieve all those jobs, ticking them off the ' To Do ' list as you run along. You see it in the distance, not far to go, the car park with its exit signs attracting you like an active magnet. One more stretch and wollop..she's suddenly pounced.

" Excuse me sir, but could I just take a few minutes of your time, and ask whether you've tried the latest designer facial moisturiser for men " ?

Oh how very funny you think to yourself, as you scratch your chin and run your fingers through your overgrown Bellamy like beard that extends from just below your bushy sideburn, to the growth of protruding chest hairs that can been seen craving for oxygen from just above the v - neck.

Pointless and time consuming you cry, well yes and no really. Pointless because its of no interest to an orang-utan, and time consuming because all you really want to do is get home for the next feed !!

Here at Plusworld we pride ourselves on more important and relevant polls, and take our time and effort to ask and gauge your opinions on what matters to you.......that being Sky + of course. There's no doubting that it's a superior piece of equipment that's a worthy addition to any home entertainment equipment. We all know what the machine currently achieves, and more importantly, what it's capable of. The burning question is, " What do you, the paying customer actually think of Sky +

Since August 2002, Plusworld has taken the time to compile 3 sets of polls which we believe cover a wide spectrum of issues. Some of the questions cover what is already available to Sky + users, and others are what Sky + could offer, which includes a small matter of Dual Record.

So please, sit back and enjoy the opinions and current results of fellow users. Ok you may scream and shout at your screen the way you would a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, if so please visit our polls and register your vote, because it is your opinions that count. Remember.........YOUR VOTE COUNTS!

Our 1st Poll/Survey was compiled in August 2002, months after Sky + had launched. In this intervening period we would all of had time to get use to Sky + , and therefore know what is good and what could be improved. Below you will find the issues and current findings/results.

How Happy Are You With Your Sky +
Please rate your satisfaction with Sky + as a %
Total Of 158 Votes

Conclusion

How good a product is Sky +? Well whenever anything new is released there's always the accompanying hype. We all like time to sit down and relax, and go through all the emotions of having a new toy to play with. Record onto a hard disc ? Pause live TV ? This must surely be a misprint. Well it soon became very clear that this, and more, was actually possible with Sky +.

It certainly seems clear that the majority of the current 158 votes feel that Sky + is a worthy investment. 12 votes have obviously never had a problem with Sky + as they are 100% satisfied. The remaining 146 votes, 114 (78.08%) seem happy enough to vote as high as 80 - 90%. Incidentally 1 person felt that disappointed with the machine they gave it 0%......I wonder if he/she realises that you actually need a television to use and appreciate Sky +.

Recommend Sky +
Would You Recommend Sky +
Total Of 142 Votes

Conclusion

Now this is a test of that friendship! Lets face it you've had to listen to him deliberating about Sky + for months now. Its's not cheap, and you know he's still paying back that damn student loan. Should I recommend it ? Shouldn't I recommend it ?

Ah good lad, you've made the right decision, anyway foods for wimps and at least you can play with series links and live pause to take away the hunger pains.

You may not go quite to these lengths to recommend it, however out of 142 votes 83 (58.45%) think that the machine is so good they would recommend it without reservation. A slightly more cautious 54 votes (38.02%) would recommend with some reservation, and 5 votes (3.6%) felt that they couldn't recommend it as they thought you probably needed a damn good square meal!!..........Oh those student days!!

Series Links
How do you find coverage of series links on programmes you record ?
Total Of 136 Votes

Conclusion

When Sky + was released, Series Links had to wake up and smell the coffee. They were now expected to blossom from their slumber and take charge of the whole operation. We all have our favourite programmes that it would be a crime to miss and therefore we have come to expect all of these programmes to be blessed with that familiar green icon.

Well it seems that despite the occasional broken link we're mostly very grateful with the way our programmes are treated.

Out of 136 votes, 109 (80.15%) are happy that their favourite programmes they like to record are linked. 26 votes (19.11%) feel that the programmes they enjoy recording are not linked.

As previously mentioned, this poll was was conducted nearly a year ago, so I would suggest to those 26 voters to go back and hunt out out those series links as the amount of channels/links are increasing all the time. Failing that, may I suggest you stop recording those shopping programmes through the night!!

Hard Drive and Viewing Needs
Is your Sky + hard drive big enough for your viewing needs ?
Total Of 126 Votes

Conclusion

Now one of the main attractions of Sky +, apart from watching one channel whilst recording another, has to be that the old blank VCR tape is a thing of the past. We've all frantically rummaged through the stock pile of old tapes, looking for that spare half hour that may or may not be on that Scotch E120, just so you can quickly insert and record ' Going For Gold '
The beauty of the hard drive is that all those tapes can now be banished to the back bedroom wardrobe, as everything can be put onto disc. The only possible problem all you Henry Kelly fans are now faced with is.....is there enough hard disc space left, after everything else has been recorded.

With so many channels on Sky these days, is there a problem with only having approximately 20hrs of space to play with.

Well from 126 votes, 67 votes felt that they sometimes ran low on disc space. 30 votes (23.81%) felt that this size disc was perfectly adequate, and interestingly about the same again struggled to delete enough recorded material to record new programmes and this was always a problem.

Sky + Lifetime Subscription
Would you pay £300 for a Sky + lifetime subscription ?
Total Of 133 Votes

Conclusion

When Sky + was first talked about, the majority of the marketing push was how much this integrated Satellite PVR could transform your life and viewing habits. The majority of us had probably never even contemplated recording programmes onto a hard drive, let alone pausing live TV and watching one channel whilst recording another. Once Sky had sold this, then came the price.

The majority of early buyers probably paid about £300, but rightly or wrongly accepted this, and continued to want this box beneath their TV's. Then came the slap across the face. An extra £10 to pay each month on top of the price for the box and your regular monthly Sky subscription. According to Sky this is to keep the cost of the box down to an acceptable price, and to help with future s/ware upgrades......MMmmmmm. So let me get this right, an extra £120 a year just to press a button that says record!! Hold on, doesn't that mean that I've paid £240 + for something that still doesn't have Dual Record.

With the possibility of paying £300 for a lifetime sub forever being muted, do loyal and new subscribers find this an attractive option. Well at this stage it appears that opinions are divided, with yes you would, marginally creeping ahead with 54.14%, compared to no you wouldn't with 45.86%

How Many Programmes
How many programmes would you estimate you record on Sky + in an average week ?
Total 129 Votes

Conclusion

Well lets just see exactly how much Sky + has changed your viewing habits.

We all lead busy lives these days, whether its being stuck in the office or on the road in the car. You could even be busy at home or keeping the kids occupied. The selling point of Sky + has always been the ability to record your programmes, forget about them, and then catch up when it suits you at your leisure.

With all the Soaps and amount of Series on these days, it would not take long to get a good 20 + recordings in your planner awaiting your attention. From a total of 129 votes, 48 (37.2%) had from 11 - 20 programmes in their planner. 31.0% (40 votes) had between 21 - 30 programmes and 24.3% (31 votes) had between 0 - 10. At the other end of the scale 3 votes (2.33%) had more than 50 programmes in their planner.

So there we are, does anyone really watch live TV these days. In an age where time is precious, it's important that a fine balance is found. Sky + helps us find that balance because recording programmes, to watch at a later date, is made so easy. There is always going to be recordings to watch................now just imagine when dual record comes along...!!

Watch out for a further 2 sets of poll results coming soon

To view or take part in previous Votes click here

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